Sunday, September 30, 2012

Terbutaline

Let's see how writing a post while on Terbutaline goes...  Is this what speed feels like?

My contractions have gone a bit nuts in the past 24 hours and I've ended up having 3 Terbutaline shots (a muscle relaxer that also speeds up your heart) as well as 2 1 mg Mag boluses.

Last night the contractions started to hurt and they were coming more like every 3 minutes or so (in my less than accurate count).  They made me totally think about how awesome epidurals must be.  The pain was the kind that made me stop listening or doing what I was doing and need to just breathe for a bit.  But not crying pain.  It was kind of a like really bad menstrual cramps - they radiated down and across my upper legs.

The Terb and Mag seem to stop it, but the worrisome thing is that I've now had 3 episodes of frequent painful contractions in the last 24 hours.  That doesn't seem good to me.  I met with a doc this morning, but I'll have a whole host of new questions tomorrow.

The frustrating thing is that I don't have any of the specific issues of preterm labor like a shortened cervix, broken water, I'm not effaced.  I'm just frickin slowly bleeding somewhere (not from baby...maybe from placenta) and either the contractions are causing the bleeding or the bleeding is causing contractions.

This is going to be a super long road if this is what it's going to look like.   But the alternative looks so much worse!  So anyway...no answers here, just updates.

(I'll write a more coherent post in the morning!)


8 comments:

  1. Thinking of you. This sounds really really crummy. Thank you for keeping us updated - we're rooting for you and baby.

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  2. Ah, terbutaline! I remember it well!

    I'm here from Mel's Lost and Found- I spent 12 weeks on hospital bed rest with my daughter. I went home for about a week of it but the oral tocolytics did not control my contractions well, and I needed to be back on the Mag. She was finally born safely in the 36th week and just turned 7 (!) yesterday.

    Can you get a midline catheter instead of needing a new IV every few days? Something worth considering if they decide you need to stay on magnesium for the long haul. The symptoms get less irritating with time, by the way. Good luck to you both!

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    1. Your story is so good to hear! So you were on Mag for 12 weeks? I will definitely ask about IV alternatives.

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  3. Thinking of you too, and sending thoughts and hugs.

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  4. I tried to post last night, but my phone ate the comment. ;(

    Thinking of you. Sorry you have to be in the hospital. I can't imagine what it must be like. May the meds they are giving you be exactly what you and baby need.

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  5. The random bleeding is so weird. I can't believe they don't have an answer for you. Thinking of you!

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  6. Ugh, the contractions and the meds sound horrible. Thinking of you and hope you get your questions answered today. Oh, and that the contractions GO AWAY.

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  7. Have they looked into the possibility of your bleeding coming from a subchorionic hemorrhage?

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